E PEtition to waive the £500,000 VAT bill on the Bomber Memorial

[NutLoose]

Just a heads up if you wish to sign it

Remove VAT On The Bomber Command Memorial - e-petitions (http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/17967)





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[higthepig]

Done, hope it works.

[SamYeager]

Done but it needs an awful lot more signatures to get anywhere. :(

[wokawoka]

Done but I was only Number 178 to sign it!

[foldingwings]

Now 188! Climbing very slowly.

Foldie:rolleyes:

[Bill Macgillivray]

We must do better than this!!!:sad::sad:

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

Signed; and so have a few of my mates.

Duncs:ok:

[GalleyTeapot]

I thought the vat had already been written off?

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: Victory in battle to get tax refund for bomber memorial (http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/291574/Victory-in-battle-to-get-tax-refund-for-bomber-memorial-Victory-in-battle-to-get-tax-refund-for-bomber-memorial-Victory-in-battle-to-get-tax-refund-for-bomber-memorial-Victory-in-battle-to-get-tax-refund-for-bomber-memorial-Victory-in-battle-to-get-tax-refund-for-bomber-memorial-Victory-in-battle-to-get-tax-refund-for-bomber-memorial)

[NutLoose]

Oh, if that's true it is fantastic news :ok:

[salad-dodger]

Have you picked the right fight? I thought it was the security bill that needed to be funded now: £700,000 or so.

S-D

[GreenKnight121]

The article was from December 2011, and referred to one single VAT refund.
The article also said that there were £800,000 in additional VAT refunds still to be approved "over the next 3 years".

The petition says that in January 2012 the government stopped all further VAT reclaimings by charities, and increased the VAT rate to 20%... meaning that not only would the Bomber memorial fund not get any further refunds, but that they would have to pay even more, due to the rate hike!

I'm a US citizen, living in the US, so I can't sign... but I urge you-all to get busy publicizing this issue!

[Wholigan]

MoD lands veterans with £700,000 bill for ceremony to unveil Bomber Command Memorial | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2163012/MoD-lands-veterans-700-000-ceremony-unveil-Bomber-Command-Memorial.html)

[CoffmanStarter]

Done @ 248 ... we need more ...

[Barksdale Boy]

Done.....265. Keep going.

[Q-RTF-X]

267 - cronies notified to join the bandwagon

[Basil]

Done and passed around.
Even signed by fashionista younger daughter who wouldn't recognise a Lanc if it was glued to a Louboutin heel :ok:
Oops! Just been reminded by Mrs Bas that I had D2 sit in the cockpit of a museum display Lanc :O

[BD757]

323 now. Come on peeps!

[kevmusic]

Done (no. 324) & shared to FB.

[ArthurR]

I had already signed, but have posted it on another RAF web site.

[Equilibrium]

Added to with pleasure, 329 now :D

[FantomZorbin]

DCO - 335 now.

It is "morally wrong" that the Government should be making money over this. :mad:

[I Love Flying]

Done and now up to 360.

[fallmonk]

394 please pass around folks

[Rosevidney1]

Done. There were 409 before me.

[salad-dodger]

signed, for what it's worth :ugh:

number 460

S-D

[salad-dodger]

as I said in my earlier post, it's not just the VAT: Defence Secretary Philip Hammond accused of hypocrisy over Bomber Command Memorial - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/gordon-rayner/9357225/Defence-Secretary-Philip-Hammond-accused-of-hypocrisy-over-Bomber-Command-Memorial.html)

S-D

[CharlieOneSix]

Signed - up to 475 now.

[PAXboy]

My father was in Bomber Command. I contributed to the memorial is in name (he came through and lived many more years) and signed as #481. I'll circulate my family and his grandchildren.

[higthepig]

Bump, 598 now.

[Q-RTF-X]

Bump, 622. If everybody tries to enlist a few others who in turn do the same, should be able to make the magic number. Have just involved my old ATC squadron .....

[LowNSlow]

625 and forwarded to the grandkids of my ex-Bomber Command dad (158 sqd Halifaxes)

[EGAC_Ramper]

Done....658!

[higthepig]

Bump again, 1359 now.

[Q-RTF-X]

Numbers improving quite dramatically now - lets keep the pressure up on others to sign up !

[Chugalug2]

1479 now. Posted via WriteToThem - Email or fax your Councillor, MP, MEP, MSP or Welsh, NI, London Assembly Member for free (http://www.writetothem.com/) :-

Dear Chugalug2's MP,
I am very pleased that at last a proper National Memorial has been dedicated in Central London to the 55573 aircrew of Bomber Command who gave their lives so that freedom and democracy would prevail in the WWII struggle against Nazism, albeit some 67 years late.
What I am not pleased about is that the MOD has left the veterans to foot the over half million pound shortfall in the cost of security after a £200,00 grant from the DCMS, which it was understood to have agreed to match.
It is unseemly that HMG, which is demanding a further half million pounds of VAT from the privately raised subscriptions to the cost of this memorial should behave in this way. It should take a lead from the Dominions, especially New Zealand that provided an aircraft to fly surviving veterans to London and back for the ceremony.
In comparison HMG's actions appear mean and callow. Is that because it is? If it is not it should make amends now by refunding all of the VAT and paying outright for the security costs of the Dedication Ceremony. As it paid nothing for the memorial itself, and will pay nothing for its upkeep, this is the least it can do to acknowledge the debt that this Nation owes to Bomber Command which had losses exceeding 50% of aircrew in a bitter campaign that lasted from the beginning to the end of the War in Europe.

Yours sincerely,

Chug

[aviate1138]

1528 and positive rate of climb......

[Milo Minderbinder]

why would anyone want to wave a VAT bill? So people can see you've got it?
Now if you wanted to waive a bill thats different...

[Tankertrashnav]

Phew Milo - someone had to point it out - that's been gnawing at me since the thread opened!

[NutLoose]

I never noticed, Damn Ipad auto corrects stuff and it sometimes slips past me :(


but then again


why would anyone want to wave a VAT bill? So people can see you've got it?
Now if you wanted to waive a bill thats different...


He who casts the first stone......... :E

Keep going guys, good to see we are getting some votes.

[Milo Minderbinder]

thats isn't a possesive, so arguably does not take an apostraphe - it would be replacing an vowel. You don't use an apostraphe in its, do you? And yet isnt is normally written with one..........I was taught at skool NOT to use an apostraphe for a missing letter, only for the possesive - even though historically the use would be correct.
Old style vs new style (1970s) teaching I guess

[NutLoose]

Drifting from the purpose of the thread so I will pass on your apostrOphe debate, old school too.


Hope we can get some more votes. :ok:

[diginagain]

- it would be replacing an vowel. Would it?

Anyhoo, all this pedantry keeps the thread close to the top of the pile.

[ArthurR]

What pedantry, oop's back to the top.

[Bill4a]

Signed.
Pedantry are the people wot fix aircraft :oh:

[Davy_MC]

Passed 2500 signatures now. If we want to get more to sign up then can peeps try and publicise on social networks please.
Oh, and bumped to the top!

[lightbluefootprint]

Signed and link to the site posted on a very busy messageboard that will hopefully see some more support forthcoming.